Pages

Monday, 1 August 2011

Good News from Haltwhistle

A great little piece of news from Haltwhistle. The 150-year-old water tower at Haltwhistle Station in Northumberland has now been officially opened as a base for local young people.

The project has been led by Ayesha Banks, who along with help from the Haltwhistle Partnership and West Northumberland Youth Service, has raised £24,000 in funding to make this great community asset a reality.

The Water Tower is going to be a great place for Haltwhislte's young people - it has computers, TVs and even a kitchen. There is no doubt that it is the kind of place teenagers are going to use which is key. It just shows what strong willed individuals and tight knit communities can achieve, even now in the toughest of times.

What is also really clever is the way that Ayesha and her team mixed funding from public sources such as the Big Lottery Fund, along with a substantial private donation from Kilfrost, the de-icer manufacturers in Haltwhistle. Gary Lydiate of Kilfrost was there to open it on the day alongside local Councillor Ian Hutchinson, Julie from the Youth Service and representatives from the Town Council and Community Partnership.